Blue Chip Issue 89
Blue Chip Journal – The official publication of FPI. Blue Chip is a quarterly journal for the financial planning industry and is the official publication of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa NPC (FPI), effective from the January 2020 edition. Blue Chip publishes contributions from FPI and other leading industry figures, covering all aspects of the financial planning industry.
Blue Chip Journal – The official publication of FPI. Blue Chip is a quarterly journal for the financial planning industry and is the official publication of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa NPC (FPI), effective from the January 2020 edition. Blue Chip publishes contributions from FPI and other leading industry figures, covering all aspects of the financial planning industry.
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FINANCIAL PLANNING | Self development<br />
BLUE<br />
CHIP<br />
So, you’ve been there,<br />
seen that and done it all?<br />
I thought I had.<br />
After almost 30 years in the financial services sector, the<br />
final 14 as a CEO of a profitable company, I believed that<br />
this was it: I’d reached the pinnacle of a successful life.<br />
Besides my professional qualifications and career, I had<br />
played sports at a national level, flown planes and had a healthy<br />
sense of self. Or so I thought. I honestly believed I’d achieved<br />
everything I wanted. The only niggling feeling of failure was related<br />
to my personal life and intimate relationships.<br />
A chance reading of a post by Dr Roddy Carter promoting<br />
his recently published book, Fireside Wisdom: Conversations to<br />
Inspire Personal Mastery changed me. Not just because Dr Carter<br />
and I were high-school classmates but because something else<br />
resonated deeply within me.<br />
My parents gifted me the book which I read over the Christmas<br />
break. I was riveted. An unsettling realisation became obvious:<br />
my mindset was my greatest impediment. I was jeopardising<br />
my own life through my thoughts, assumptions and responses.<br />
It was difficult to admit that I wasn’t leading the wonderful life<br />
I thought I was and that my brain was the obstacle! This book<br />
gave me a sense of how my mind “works” – with all the cognitive,<br />
emotional and spiritual elements that make for happiness and<br />
fulfilment. Using cutting-edge neuroscience, Dr Carter unravels the<br />
complex interplay between our thoughts, emotions and personal<br />
satisfaction. The path to success and happiness is about making<br />
your mind your best friend.<br />
A subsequent catch-up call where we reminisced about our<br />
school days became the gateway to an insightful three-month<br />
odyssey that revolutionised my perspective on life. Dr Carter’s<br />
candid admission that he wished he understood this science earlier<br />
in life was inspirational: Compassionate Neuroscience outlines all<br />
the untapped resources within each one of us. These resources<br />
have impacted every part of my life.<br />
Yes, I thought I had it all, but I found out<br />
how much I was missing. What a pity we<br />
don’t learn how to operate our brains<br />
much earlier in our lives.<br />
After our conversation, Dr Carter<br />
kindly couriered me his first book,<br />
Body Wealth: Journey to Abundance.<br />
During my career, I tailored, set<br />
and implemented financial plans<br />
achieving anticipated results. Once I<br />
familiarised myself with the ideas associated with Compassionate<br />
Neuroscience, I was hooked and was keen to participate in the<br />
Unstoppable YOU programme. Admittedly, my initial focus was on<br />
my failed personal relationships where I felt “stuck”.<br />
I enrolled for the 14-week Unstoppable YOU programme, which<br />
had me devoting 90 minutes every week to my feelings, fears and<br />
a sense of self-awareness. My “people-pleasing” tendencies soon<br />
emerged: I tend to think about the well-being and happiness of<br />
others at my own expense. I learnt, through the Brain Operating<br />
System, to manage my fears, identifying and confronting the<br />
justifications I use as excuses.<br />
Gradually, I identified the traits enriching my life and those<br />
sabotaging it. Time spent reflecting and writing enabled me to<br />
plan the life, professional and personal, that I ultimately want.<br />
Ironically, I have been doing this for my clients for decades, creating<br />
bespoke financial solutions for them while I completely ignored<br />
my personal development. It’s easy to let the numbers translate<br />
into a “successful” life. Through the Brain Operating System, I<br />
discovered what was to become one of my favourite concepts in<br />
the programme: the idea of “psychic push-ups”. When we initially<br />
confront our fears and negative perceptions, it’s uncomfortable<br />
and difficult. Over time, the benefits of “psychic push-ups” become<br />
evident – easier to practice and the rewards are priceless.<br />
After completing the lessons on Owning the Office of the<br />
CEO (read: mastering your brain), Clearing the Filter, Conquering<br />
Fear and Driving Belief, I noticed some fundamental shifts in<br />
how I handle personal relationships. As time went by, I began to<br />
understand and appreciate my assets and strengths, the positive<br />
character traits that were serving me well and the triggers which<br />
were negatively impacting my life. Admittedly, I needed to delve<br />
much deeper into my thoughts, feelings and fears. The simple<br />
exercises required by the programme taught me to pause, explore,<br />
think, question, challenge and disagree with what I had effectively<br />
been doing most of my life to understand the person whom Dr<br />
Carter refers to as the authentic you or the “you you”.<br />
Reflecting on the past eight months, it’s almost surreal to<br />
recall my initial state of mind. In today’s tumultuous world, rife<br />
with technological advancements and information overload,<br />
the programme stands as a beacon for personal mastery and<br />
resilience. To echo the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The only<br />
person you are destined to become is the person you decide to<br />
be.” It is that simple. <br />
Trevor Glassock MBA, CA(SA), CFP®, Head of Sales, Dr Roddy Carter<br />
www.bluechipdigital.co.za<br />
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